Ok, so we have talked about Netflix Data Harvesting, but what about Interactive TV? Black Mirror is one of the most popular Netflix shows out right now and they just released a movie of sorts. On December 28th, Bandersnatch was released and has revolutionized the way that we stream tv. It stands as one of the first attempts at narrative-driven gameplay.

Instead of passively watching the movie, you get to chose as the viewer what the main character does next. At first, the choices seem to be simple ones such as what type of cereal you will eat for breakfast. As the movie goes along, the choices get deeper and darker.

Many experts believe that the choices that you made during the time that you watched Bandersnatch has been collected. We already know that Netflix keeps a log of the type of shows that you watch and uses that information to recommend content to you. So, how will they use this data to their advantage.

In September of 2018, Netflix had accumulated 137.1 million subscribers who were plugged into the recommendation algorithm. Users are in fact more likely to watch programs that have been recommended to you. This changes how you perceive the world. The same goes for when you are using social media. Facebook’s algorithms delivers content to you that they know you will enjoy which limits you to the other content.

The irony of it all is that Black Mirror is all about big data having control of their audience yet is using it right before our very own eyes. As the average consumer watches Netflix mostly every day, it is no wonder that they would take advantage of data harvesting through monitoring streaming. Bandersnatch might be the first of its’ kind but it signals a change in the way that we are watching TV in 2019.

As ratings on Netflix have gone through the roof, Netflix has now announced that they will be raising their rates and many consumers have declared they will be abandoning ship. Netflix will increase the price of its most popular plan 18% to $13 a month from $11. That plan allows users to stream from two screens at the same time. The most basic plan, which allows a single stream in standard definition, will go up one dollar, or 13%, to $9 a month.

We hate to start the new year off with spreading gossip, but this one is worth talking about. If you haven’t been living under a rock lately, you’ve heard about the movie Bird Box: a post-apocalyptic thriller starring Sandra Bullock. Conspiracies have been circulating on Twitter about the astounding amount of Bird Box memes. Hundreds of memes that became viral were coming from accounts with less than 50 followers.

Some marketing experts have speculated that Netflix has created a team of memers and bots to boost promotion of the film. Regardless of if Netflix was launching memes or not as a way to promote their original film, it is obvious the memes made it successful.

Most people spend more time on social media today than they do watching Television. For a brand to stand out amidst an ocean of other brands, meme marketing has been proven effective. Memes can visually associate their brand with an amusing video or image that is humorous and catchy and which helps enhance the brand’s image.

However, as successful as meme marketing can be, brands can make the wrong steps in meme marketing. Brands should know that being provocative may not always be the best way to make an impact on an audience. A meme is not supposed to be an advertisement or promote a brand in an obvious way. A meme should engage users by being funny, clever or irrelevant.

When it comes to Bird Box, Netflix has shown us that data-driven programming combined with social media buzz has led to it being more successful in the first week than any other film. Another genius aspect of the meme marketing behind Bird Box is the timing. More people were on their phones during the Holiday season than ever due to lack of work and being at home with their families.

Since Bird Box was a trending topic on the internet, more and more memes were made and they are still rolling out. Here at Velocity Agency, we make sure that our staff stays on top of all the trends that make marketing campaigns successful. We can learn a lot from Netflix as it continues to roll out with more and more original content. Do you believe the rumors about their twitter bots?

Knowing your target market is important and Chrysler is aware. For most moms out there, minivans are a way of life. They are easy to help transport children back and forth as well as being spacious enough for entire family trips. Chrysler recently released a new Pacifica Minivan that gives the Pacifica a new attitude. In order to market a sleeker version of a minivan, it was important to market towards the moms with a similar attitude. Moms that still want to remain youthful and fun.

Chrysler hired actress Kathryn Hahn, who is known for her quirky personality, to star in many different commercials. What makes these commercials widely popular is not only Hahn’s goofy antics, but the use of widely popular songs ranging from Montel Jordan to Fergie.

Even though the concepts of these Chrysler commercials are clever, let’s explore why Chrysler chose an actress like Kathryn Hahn. Kathryn Hahn’s career speaks to a very defined piece of a generation. Starring in shows like Transparent and Happyish, Kathryn is known to take complicated roles to just plain goofy roles.

In 2018, female empowerment was a part of the advertising word more than ever. Female empowerment comes in many forms in our culture and women being outspoken and having a sense of humor is no longer out of the ordinary. Kathryn Hahn usually is in roles where she speaks her mind and no matter how risque her lines are written, she nails them.

Many scientists believe that since we are all so interconnected with technology, there is less of a generational gap between parents and children. Many times, adults and children are consuming the same type of content on their smartphones or on the internet. This means that the vitality of life for parents would be seen as somewhat immature to generations past.

When it comes to advertisements, the demand to be entertained is at an all-time high. People like to see advertisements that don’t feel like an advertisement and will have them laugh and even cry. If you are looking for an advertising agency that will create engaging and entertaining ads for you, contact Velocity Agency.

Geofencing marketing is the practice of using global positioning or radio frequency identification to define a geographic boundary, and it’s being utilized more than ever! This week, Burger King made headlines with their latest marketing campaign. Beginning on Tuesday, consumers can open a newly revamped Burger King app and venture within 600 feet of a McDonald’s location. This will trigger a deal within a geofence that allows them to order a whopper for one penny. Consumers are re-routed to the nearest Burger King location for pick up. This promotion has been named #WhopperDetour and will only run through December 12th. As silly as this sounds, there’s a more to this marketing promotion than geofencing. Velocity Agency is always here for the latest marketing gossip. Let’s explore what made this plan effective.

It’s Petty.

We all know that marketing is hard, that’s why marketing agencies exist! In this digital age, it’s so hard to stand out. Every company wants their marketing messages to be memorable, effective, and impressionable. To stand out, it’s all about understanding emotions. When we understand that emotions inform our decisions through their linked association, it’s easier to see how you can use this information when planning your marketing strategy. Traditionally, marketers focus on positive emotions when promoting products and brands. Today, the most successful brands are doing something much different in a trend known as troll marketing.

Troll marketing is when companies put something controversial in their audiences eye usually in the form of a tweet and striking up conflict. The social media generation is the most media-saturated group of consumers and trolling is ingrained in their minds. When a brand troll their younger audiences, people view the brand as a funny friend. In many examples, brands will actually troll their audience. This increases engagement because consumers will be more inclined to interact with their brand.

However, Burger King went straight to their biggest competitor: McDonald’s.

Cryptic Tweets

From retail, to food, to the music industry, to politics, cryptic tweets are wildly popular. Earlier this year Olive Garden and Ihop both launched cryptic promotions. The art of the tease is not just used in Burlesque! Consumers love to be mystified by brands so they can come to their own conclusions, just like movie viewers love a twist ending.

Olive Garden tweeted this with a link to a mystery countdown clock on their website. Not only did it increase engagement, but it led people to their site like crazy.

Around the same time, IHOP announced they were changing their name to IHOB and the internet was on fire trying to decide what the B would stand for. On June 11th, they announced that the B stood for Burgers instead of pancakes.

Before Burger King launched the announcement of #thewhopperdetour, they tweeted this:

Will you be buying a Whopper for a penny? At just a penny, it’s practically free! Velocity Agency loves a good marketing scheme, even if it is on the petty side. If you feel as if your brand has been stuck in the past, trust Velocity Agency to propel you into the future with our knowledgeable and creative marketing team!

Christmas Storytelling marketing is the most popular way to reach your audience during the Holidays. During the Holidays, it’s much more important to tap into the emotions of your audience rather than launch a exclusive sale. Save your sales and discounts for Black Friday and Cyber Monday every year. Christmas is about pulling heart strings and turning your customers into fans.

Velocity Agency loves a good story, but that’s not the only reason why we utilize storytelling marketing. The Holidays are supposed to be fun where we feel happy and connected, but the holidays can also be lonely, stressful, disappointing. The most powerful holiday stories are heartwarming and make us feel good. Here are three amazing Holiday marketing campaigns that won us over.

John Lewis launched a campaign in 2016 that utilized storytelling marketing beautifully and captures the magic of Christmas morning without any dialogue.

Marks and Spencer shows a story that is a twist on the traditional Santa story. A little boy writes to Mrs. Claus instead and tells the story of how he has been a typical annoying little brother. By launch love Mrs. Claus, it showed a fearless woman performing Christmas magic in the knick of time.

Perfumes sell like CRAZY during the Holidays. Burberry didn’t necessarily go with the traditional holiday spirit cinematography and music, but still told an incredible story through “The Tale of Thomas Burberry.” Brand storytelling doesn’t always have to be centered on your customer’s experiences. Finding new and creative ways to tell stories about your company gives your brand a voice.

If you are having a tough time giving your brand a voice, Velocity Agency is your megaphone. We can take care of telling your story from top to bottom. Learn more about our work here.

Here at Velocity Agency, we are so excited for Thanksgiving! We have been planning our annual Thanksgiving potluck for a few weeks and our mouths are watering. However, even with food on our radar we are still hard at work helping brands revamp their marketing strategies! Here are some ways to get the most out of your Thanksgiving Marketing plan!

Holiday E-Bast

Sending personalized emails to your customers to thank them for doing business with you is a great way to market to your audience. It’s important to express your gratitude to your loyal clients and will inevitably keep their support!

Infographic

Here at Velocity Agency, we know the power of infographics! Thanksgiving season is all about sharing and you can use your infographic to do just that! You could include your employee’s favorite holiday tradition or recipe!

Have an Event

Even as digital marketing takes over the world of marketing, nothing replaces in person interactions. For example, if your brand targets local customers, hosting a live event will give them the opportunity to feel more involved in your brand.

Contests

Contests, especially on social media, are a huge hit! Instagram photo contests are possibly one of the most popular contests around. In return, you gain massive followers to your social media account. For more information of what an instagram contest entails, click here.

Set an Example

Thanksgiving is about being thankful, but it’s also an amazing opportunity to spread love. Volunteering at a foster home, creating a fundraiser, or working at a soup kitchen for the homeless will set an example for others as well as other brands. In addition, it brings the real meaning of Thanksgiving to the limelight again.

Do you need help coming up with holiday specific marketing plans? Velocity Agency is a full service marketing agency that will help you every step of the way when you need creative and engaging ideas! Learn more about our services here!

Halloween digital marketing campaigns are best when they feature storytelling. Brands typically plunge right into marketing their products and services for Halloween. Just last year, Halloween spending peaked at $9.1 billion in 2017 and this year, it’s expected to reach $10 billion. People are spending more money on decorations, candy, costumes and haunted house experiences than ever. Velocity Agency specializes in Digital Marketing and we know social media. Here are some ways that successful brands have created great social media campaigns.

Decorating your social media profiles

Your social media profile is your digital storefront. You can spruce up your social media profiles by adding a splash of Halloween with the color scheme or cover photos. Velocity Agency has a graphic design team that collaborates with our digital marketers to make sure that our holiday marketing stands out.

Seasonal Discounts

Your audience may expect special offers. As with any holiday campaign, you can attract more engagement for your offers by using social media. Try doing a Halloween-themed giveaway on Facebook or polls on Twitter. Once you establish the winners, make sure that you send them their unique promotional codes and gifts.

Host a Photo Contest

Halloween already gives everyone the chance to wear silly costumes! As a brand, you should embrace it and host a photo contest on social media and engage your followers. If costumes seem too cliche’ for you, you can instead host a competition for food creations or decorations.

The reason why Velocity Agency stands out above the rest is all about how we can conquer it all. As the Holiday season approaches, we hope that you have your holiday marketing plan ready to go! From concept creatives to executing the plan, Velocity has got you covered. Learn more about what we can do for your brand today!

Are you looking for Halloween Marketing Professionals? Just last year, Americans spent a whopping 8.4 billion on Halloween. This is not news for corporations with brands spending millions of dollars every year on Halloween inspired marketing campaigns. The spooky season has become just as big as Christmas or the super bowl. Here at Velocity Agency, we love to come up with holiday-themed marketing campaigns and when it comes to inspiration, we look all around us. Here are six Halloween marketing campaigns that proved to be largely successful.

Snickers: Horseless Headsman

Snickers conquered Halloween with the famous horseless headsman concept. A goofy play on words that was a huge hit. Snickers launched their “you’re not you when you’re hungry” and has won awards at every major creative gathering including Cannes Lions, and the Emmys ever since. This campaign helped increase global sales of Snickers by 15.9 % and grew market share in 56 of the 58 markets in which it ran. This Halloween commercial takes the successful idea and puts a spooky twist and was largely successful.

This commercial didn’t go the “scare the audience” route but it is still very memorable. Kmart incorporated their product, broke a world record, and used a celebrity dancer all in one amazing ad.

Nike: Run For Your Life

We all know the scene in every slasher film movie where the girl is getting ready for a night out in the bathroom and there is the scary villain. The slasher never catches up with the victim because of her Nike shoes!

Burger King: Scary Clown Night

Do you remember all the clown sightings? How could you forget? Burger King’s largest competitor is and always has been Mcdonalds and what better way to take an aim at them than launching #ScaryClownNight? If you dressed like a clown, Burger King would give you a free Whopper.

Bacardi: Dress to be Free

Bacardi took a unique view of Halloween with this campaign celebrating people who dress up every day and those who liberate themselves through costume. Brazilian Carnival is known for their beautiful carnival dancers and stunning costumes.

Budweiser: Halloween Takeover

Of course, we have to talk about experiential marketing. Budweiser is attempting to do what no other brand has done and claim Halloween. Their “Join the Fearless” campaign launched in 17 countries where Halloween doesn’t even exist! It is known as it’s own Holiday and hosting their own Halloween parties and events to bring customers together around the globe.

Which one of these campaigns was your favorite? We love celebrating this spooky holiday with Halloween themed marketing campaigns. If you are looking for a marketing agency in New Orleans, we are ready to take your brand to frightening levels of success! Contact us here.

Victoria’s secret may be out of the bag! The lingerie industry is going through a massive change. Rail-thin models are being replaced with a variety of body types as self-acceptance and natural beauty are replacing the norms of the past. This new attitude is threatening to everything that Victoria’s Secret’s marketing is known for.

Aerie pioneered a movement when it abandoned photoshop in 2014 and launched a campaign called #AerieREAL. It has advertised women that have other body types beyond the thin models that are usually showcased.

However, there has been a shift in the demographic as well. Women say their perceptions of what’s beautiful and sex have inherently changed. Women know now that they can have curve to be healthy and wellness is now the new goal.

Other lingerie brands don’t even hire models and invite their customers to share their own pictures with them through social platforms like Instagram and use these photos for marketing.

However, Victoria’s Secret has not changed much when it comes to their models, or their target demographic. Their target demographic for marketing is men. Earlier this year, a Victoria’s Secret Facebook photo got heat for being so overtly sexual that some people thought it bordered pornographic. Customers on Facebook were furious and called it trashy and questioned if the underwear advertisement was for women or for men.

More than half of Victoria’s Secret panty reviews are from men, and that might be a huge reason why they continue to keep the same marketing strategy. Although marketing to men has been successful for Victoria’s Secret for many years, there has been a steady decline in their sales as women flock to other lingerie brands. In addition, women are now seeking comfort instead of sex appeal.

It’s important to keep in mind what consumers want when you are planning your marketing strategy. Velocity prides themselves on having a fully equipped staff that are researching the consumer trends constantly. If you need an agency that is prepared to appeal to your target demographic, you know who to call!

Velocity is always monitoring the trends in the marketing world and adapting. Here are five new marketing trends to be looking out for this year.

Branded Podcasts

The best way to capture a millennial’s attention is through their ears. This is why so many brands ranging from GE to Tinger are utilizing branded podcasts. 67 million people over the age of 12 listen to podcasts each month. Attention spans are hard to capture, yet 85% of those who listen to podcasts listen to them in their entirety.

Chatbots

Chatbots respond to texts or digital chats and carry on a conversation with the consumer on the other end. Bots can be used for entertainment, customer service, or to connect with customers in between purchases. Bots have evolved to even incorporate ecommerce capabilities. This means that customer service is constantly in your arsenal and customer service means everything.

Content Collaboration

Brands have long created crossover merchandise, but now we’re starting to see that collaborative spirit emerge in content partnerships. It’s important for brands to partner with like-minded brands on content. This helps you get your messages in front of new audiences, harness creative power, and so much more. This is why so many companies are creating collaborative spaces for their employees in general as well as collaborating actively with other brands.

Audio Optimization

Another reason branded podcasts are becoming so popular is the ability to optimize them. Brands are currently programming skills into Amazon Echo so that their content can be easily accessible.

Hero Content

Google is always changing their indexing algorithms. In the past two years they have changed more than ever! This means that instead of short and timely blog articles, periodically your brand should create long-form, multi-media rich content around your target keywords. Google rankings are now looking at content above 2,000 words.

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